For over 50 years, Cookeville Children’s Theatre has been a place where creativity, confidence, and community come together through the power of storytelling.
Where young people find their voice-and become who they are meant to be.
For over 50 years, Cookeville Children’s Theatre has been a place where creativity, confidence, and community come together through the power of storytelling.
Latest News
On Stage & In Action
Six Students. One Day. A Whole Story.
Six young artists came together to create an original play in a single day—building characters, costumes, and a story entirely their own.
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Opportunities & Upcoming
Help Us Shape Summer at CCT
With camps full and a growing waitlist, we’re exploring additional summer class options—and would love your input.
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Building What’s Next
Building the Next Chapter of CCT
We’re taking the next steps in transforming our space to better serve students and our community—including plans for a new black box theatre.
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Where we started
For over 50 years, Cookeville Children’s Theatre has been a place where young people discover who they are—both onstage and off. What began as a small community effort over 50 years ago has grown into a vibrant organization serving thousands of students and families each year. At CCT, we believe that growth as an artist and growth as a human are one and the same.
Every rehearsal, every class, and every performance is an opportunity to build confidence, empathy, discipline, and connection.
The community we’ve built
Cookeville Children’s Theatre is more than a place where programs happen—it is a community built through the work itself. It is in the rehearsal room where students learn to listen and support one another. It is in the classroom where confidence begins to take shape. It is in the audience where families gather, and in the moments before and after a performance when connection happens naturally. What we do and who we are are deeply intertwined. Our productions, classes, camps, and performances are not separate from our community—they are how our community is formed. Students grow here. Families return year after year. Artists, educators, and supporters invest their time, energy, and care into something larger than any one production or program.
Together, we are creating a space where people feel seen, challenged, and connected—and where that sense of belonging continues long after the curtain falls.
Looking ahead
As we look ahead, we are stepping into an exciting new chapter for CCT. Over the years, our programs have grown in both size and impact—and our space has grown right alongside them. What once served a single purpose now supports many, and each day our building works hard to keep up with the creativity and energy within it. We are thoughtfully exploring ways to care for and reimagine our space so that it can better support the students, families, and audiences we serve. This includes improving functionality, enhancing accessibility, and creating more flexible environments for learning, rehearsal, and performance.
It’s a natural next step in the life of CCT—one that reflects not just where we’ve been, but where we are going.
Our programs
Mainstage Production
Our mainstage productions bring stories to life through the work of young performers, guided by experienced directors and teaching artists. These productions are more than performances—they are immersive learning experiences where students collaborate, take risks, and rise to high expectations together.
School Day Performances
Each fall, we welcome thousands of students from across the region for our school-day performances. These shows provide many children with their first live theatre experience—opening the door to imagination, storytelling, and the shared magic of a live audience.
Academy Classes
Our year-round classes offer training in acting, storytelling, and creative expression for students of all ages and experience levels. Whether a child is stepping into a class for the first time or continuing to grow their skills, our programs are designed to meet them where they are—and challenge them to go further.
Summer Camps
From our popular summer camps to one-day creative intensives, CCT offers opportunities for students to dive deeply into the creative process. These programs are often a young artist’s first experience creating and performing original work—and a place where confidence and joy take center stage.
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